Almost the end of another year but lots for you to do to get away from it all during this hectic time at Eastside Roots, volunteering days at station (Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays) finish after 22nd December & restart 5th January 2010 (apart from 29th December vol day which will go ahead from 10.30 to 4 as usual): burn off the Christmas pud. Trinity last Thursday is 17th Dec, back on 7th January 2010.

Fruit Tree Offer

Wouldnt it be great to have your very own fruit tree in your garden or on your allotment or even in a tub in your front yard? Fruit trees give you delightful blossom for Spring, home grown organic fruit in the summer and a winter wind break, get a variety with your neighbours and after a few years share the abundant harvest. Eastside Roots are offering you a variety of fruit trees on different root stock (which affects its final size) at an incredible £15 each. We are buying in bulk so we can pass a saving on to you. They make a really positive present and ordering couldn’t be easier. We have set up a safe Paypal account which you can access on our website www.eastsideroots.org.uk. Or visit us at the station and pay by cash or cheque, a receipt will be given. You can pay online now or pay at the station from 12th December, last date for orders 18th January 2010. The trees will be ready for collection by late January. Choose from an apple, a pear, a cherry or plum – all varieties have been selected for low maintenance and are suitable for growing in small urban spaces.

Eastside Roots Mid-Winter Warmer – Saturday 19th December 2-7pm, Stapleton Road Train Station

We cordially invite you all to our end of year festive gathering up at the station, they’ll be wreath making workshop & gardener’s question time in the afternoon, followed by Jacknory Jethro with winter tales around the blazing fire, seasonal games and live acoustic music in the special Eastside Roots fashion. Warm yourself with hot mulled cider (made in Easton) or wine, eat our own grown pumpkin soup, enjoy pizzas & jacket spuds from the ‘Fat Controller’ Clay Oven or just stick to a good old cup of tea. All welcome, bring your kids, finish with songs around the piano.

If you fancy taking part or helping on the day please get in touch via email or on 07810 806 354.

Eastside Roots New Year’s Eve Party – Thursday 31st December, The Plough

Ending the year with a real bang Eastside Roots ‘Dance for the Plants’ team are taking over the Plough for one big party featuring live band, live pa, 2 guest DJs, some very big tunes and a few surprises – you are guaranteed to start 2010 with a smile on your face. Full details soon, look out for the posters and flyers. Tickets are £4 in advance or £6 on the door – all proceeds to Eastside Roots Community Gardening Hub. Tickets can be purchased from The Plough or from Eastside Roots.

Learning Opportunities for 2010

What better way to start the new year than to sign up for a new course, Eastside Roots have a series of courses & workshops coming up from February 2010 from drop in workshops at the station to full 8 week gardening courses. Details will be sent out in January and updated on website but meanwhile we are already taking bookings for our very popular Organic Horticulture course at Trinity Centre in Old Market from 4th February to 8th April, this course will be an engaging mix of practical and indoor group work, and has been getting incredible feedback from the start…… partly as it’s so cheap: £80 waged or £40 unwaged for 20 hours teaching time! Call Tom on 07988460373, reply to this email or email t_daly@hotmail.com.

Other News: Easton Energy Group are at Easton Community Centre tonight from 7 to 9pm with free advice on Energy saving & a chance to become an energy warden for your street. Save money & reduce your carbon footprint.

Lastly I would like to thank all the Eastside Roots directors and members (all of whom are volunteers) who put in an incredible amount of work & energy this year to bring you an exciting mix of events, talks, workshops, training, volunteering and more. If you like what we are doing please get involved, it wouldn’t be the same without you (If you don’t like what we are doing let us know why & how you would want to use the Community Gardening Hub or Trinity Garden). Best wishes for the end of the year and I hope 2010 sees an across the board greening of fingers.
Thanks for reading.
Nick Ward
Project Co-ordinator
Eastside Roots
07810 806 354

Come and learn the traditional art of fruit tree pruning from some of our local experts. It’ll be a real hands-on workshop planting new trees and pruning. Tools provided; bring gloves and warm, waterproof clothes and boots.

Monday 25th January 2010 10.00am -12.30pm
Grimsbury farm, Kingswood
Paul Humphreys from BTCV will be joining us to instruct on pruning a wide range of fruit trees. There may also be an opportunity to have a look at the Tree Life Centre tree nursery on-site and the new memorial woodland site. Meet in the car park. Toilets on site.

Saturday 6th February 10.00am -12.30pm
Cock Road Ridge Nature Reserve, Kingswood
Learn to prune old apple trees and have a go yourself. We’ll also be tidying and clearing undergrowth around the trees. Meet Bob at the allotment entrance Hollyguest Road or Sally outside Longwell Green Leisure Centre.

Monday 15th February 1.30-3.30pm
Pomphrey Hill Open Space, Emersons Green/ Mangotsfield
Learn to prune new fruit trees (apple and pear). We’ll also plant a few replacement trees and have a look at some large pear trees and a mulberry. Meet at entrance off Pomhrey Hill (B4465) opp Johnson Rd, just next to Cleve Rugby Club.

23rd Tues February 1.30pm- 3.30pm
Bristol Bath Cycle Path @ Staple Hill Tunnel
Plant 4 new apple trees and prune/ tidy up one old apple tree. Also tidy around a regionally important geological site (RIGGS). Jo Wright will be teaching us about planting techniques. Meet in the car park Station Road, Staple Hill.

Saturday 27th February 10.00-12.30pm
Cycle Path @ Mangotsfield Station
We’ll be working on some very old trees and planting some new ones. Meet on Rodway Common opposite Mangotsfield Secondary School (unless you’re cycling then see you there)!

Call Sally for directions or info on 01454 863556 sally.pattison@southglos.gov.uk

These are a series of five informal training sessions looking at the planting and aftercare of fruit trees. The half-days will be fun and interesting, learning about different fruit trees and getting some hands on experience. Each session will take place on Council open space as part of the Wildways project. Anyone who attends one or more of the workdays may be eligible for a City & Guilds Horticulture certificate through Filton college accreditation.

…Want to share your ideas, expertise and experiences with researchers? You are invited to a meeting with local Bristol University researchers interested in local, concrete ideas and projects inspired by social action and concern about climate change. We hope to develop a project that would be mutually interesting for researchers and community groups, particularly around community initiatives that reduce energy demand.

Come and discuss! – Feb 15th. 6-8pm.

Location to be confirmed but curry supper (incl. veg) will be provided.

Please contact Bronwen Morgan (B.Morgan@bristol.ac.uk) for further information

Alastair McIntosh, environmental campaigner and acclaimed author will speak in Bristol as a guest of The Bristol Ecoshows on Monday February 15th 7.30pm on the 3rd Floor, Bush House (above the Arnolfini) 72 Prince Street BS1 4QD £3 entry. The venue has disability access.

Acclaim for McIntosh’s book on Climate Change ‘Hell And High Water’: “inspirational” Archbishop of Canterbury, “truly mental” Thom Yorke of Radiohead

There’ll be a brief introduction to The Bristol Ecoshows, a new grass roots initiative connected to Transition Bristol. The coordinator David Mowat says: “It’s about using community-based arts practitioners of all kinds to mobilize Bristol as a city to dramatically reduce its environmental impact, celebrating the results in ‘ecoshows’. At the same time the arts practitioners working with neighbourhood clusters of businesses and community groups aim to increase a sense of community across the city and positive connections with nature. That’s a tall order, and along the way they’ll have to engage with powerful vested interests. Especially in the wake of the collapse of multilateral deals at Copenhagen, making grassroots movements work in cities everywhere is vital now”.

What can we learn about bringing systemic (as opposed to individual lifestyle) change to where we are, in Bristol? This is the question we’ll grapple with through hearing McIntosh, a ‘human ecologist’ who’s long pondered the relationships between the natural environment and the social environment. As an activist he has successfully helped lead community campaigns to limit the damaging power of the rich and powerful in The Hebrides. His practical dealings with city authorities have come through community development with the GalGael Trust in Glasgow. He’s been deeply involved, through the land reform movement in Scotland, with how people can powerfully engage with environmental issues when they feel ownership of the land they live on. He’ll use the island of Eigg as a case study in how town can connect with country before his audience explores the implications this has for Bristol.

Fundamentally, artists try and connect with their inner creativity to express to the rest of us the truth of life in out of the ordinary ways, which ties in with McIntosh’s own description of his varied work “What joins it all up is a fundamental passion for that which gives life – with community that is social, ecological and even spiritual”

For more details ring 0780 436 3170
About Alastair McIntosh www.alastairmcintosh.com
About The Bristol Ecoshows www.ecoshow.org.uk